Council was right to sack employee

John Farmer
Digital producer
John is currently digital producer at The Chronicle in Toowoomba where he previously worked as a journalist for two-and-a-half years. He started in newspapers as a journalist at The Chinchilla News in 2005 before he was appointed group editor of Surat Basin Publications.

TOOWOOMBA Regional Council was right to sack long-time employee Graham Wotton, but was unfair in offering him only five weeks pay, the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission has ruled.

Mr Wotton worked for the council for 16 years and held an unblemished record when he was told at 5.15pm on January 20 this year, over the phone, his employment had been terminated.

He was sacked for forwarding an internal council document that related to the organisation's restructure.

Unions rallied around Mr Wotton, with the Queensland Services Union leading the very public Justice for Graham campaign.

They claimed he should have been issued with a stern warning and launched a fight for his reinstatement.

The Queensland Industrial Relations Commission ruled council's decision to terminate Mr Wotton's employment was based on a valid reason. It ruled that the decision was not connected to his role as a union delegate.

The commission decided that Mr Wotton's reinstatement was impracticable because of a "loss of trust and confidence".

But the commission also found that compensation of five weeks pay was not sufficient given his long and unblemished employment record.

It awarded Mr Wotton an additional eight weeks pay to be made within 21 days of the decision.

A Toowoomba Regional Council spokesman said the commission's decision "supported council's actions".

Queensland Services Union assistant secretary Jenny Thomas said the ruling was a win for Mr Wotton, his supporters and the union movement.